Kingsferry Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Kingsferry Bridge is a combined road and railway vertical-lift bridge connecting the Isle of Sheppey
to Kent
in the South East England
. It was designed by Mott, Hay and Anderson
, and built by John Howard, with Dorman Long
and Sir William Arrol. It comprises a reinforced concrete
and structural steel
deck, supported from portal-shaped reinforced concrete towers.
The first bridge on the site had been a railway bascule bridge
built in 1860 as part of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway
. This was replaced in 1904 by a Scherzer-type bascule bridge, replaced in turn by the present bridge.
Swale railway station
is at the southern end of the Kingsferry Bridge.
The Kingsferry bridge is powered by an electric motor found beneath the road where there is an engine room either side of the bridge which operates the wire rope and counter weights that lifts and lowers the bridge. The Kingsferry bridge has lifted currently over 100,000 times and every lift has to be recorded. The bridge can only be lifted when the Sittingbourne railway signalman gives authorization once a train travelling either way across the bridge has passed the relevant track section.
The maximum bridge lifting height is 84 feet and when reached a claxon sound is heard to confirm the bridge is at full height.
The Kingsferry Bridge is regarded to network rail as a "railway crossing".
The A249
was carried on the Kingsferry Bridge until the opening of a new fixed Sheppey crossing
in 2006.
It was announced police have borrowed £73,000 from Swale
Council to place an order for an automatic number plate recognition
system (ANPR), which will be installed on both the Sheppey Crossing
and the Kingsferry Bridge by the middle of April 2010.
Isle of Sheppey
The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England in the Thames Estuary, some to the east of London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale...
to Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in the South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
. It was designed by Mott, Hay and Anderson
Mott, Hay and Anderson
Mott, Hay and Anderson was a successful 20th century firm of consulting civil engineers based in the United Kingdom. The company traded until 1989, when it merged with Sir M. MacDonald & Partners to form Mott MacDonald.-Early years:...
, and built by John Howard, with Dorman Long
Dorman Long
Dorman Long, based in Middlesbrough, North East England, was a major steel producer, which diversified into bridge building, and is now a manufacturer of steel components and construction equipment for bridges and other structures...
and Sir William Arrol. It comprises a reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
and structural steel
Structural steel
Structural steel is steel construction material, a profile, formed with a specific shape or cross section and certain standards of chemical composition and mechanical properties...
deck, supported from portal-shaped reinforced concrete towers.
The first bridge on the site had been a railway bascule bridge
Bascule bridge
A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....
built in 1860 as part of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway
London, Chatham and Dover Railway
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies to form the Southern Railway. Its lines ran through London and northern and eastern Kent to form a significant part of the Greater London...
. This was replaced in 1904 by a Scherzer-type bascule bridge, replaced in turn by the present bridge.
Swale railway station
Swale railway station
Swale railway station is in north Kent, England, on the Sheerness Line north of Sittingbourne at the southern end of the Kingsferry Bridge which connects the Isle of Sheppey to mainland Kent. The nearest settlement is Iwade. Train services are provided by Southeastern.- History :The station was...
is at the southern end of the Kingsferry Bridge.
The Kingsferry bridge is powered by an electric motor found beneath the road where there is an engine room either side of the bridge which operates the wire rope and counter weights that lifts and lowers the bridge. The Kingsferry bridge has lifted currently over 100,000 times and every lift has to be recorded. The bridge can only be lifted when the Sittingbourne railway signalman gives authorization once a train travelling either way across the bridge has passed the relevant track section.
The maximum bridge lifting height is 84 feet and when reached a claxon sound is heard to confirm the bridge is at full height.
The Kingsferry Bridge is regarded to network rail as a "railway crossing".
The A249
A249 road
The A249 is a road in Kent, England, running from Maidstone to Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey. It mainly functions as a link between the M2 and M20 motorways, and for goods vehicle traffic to the port at Sheerness....
was carried on the Kingsferry Bridge until the opening of a new fixed Sheppey crossing
Sheppey Crossing
The Sheppey Crossing is a four-lane road bridge which crosses The Swale at a height of 35m , linking the Isle of Sheppey with mainland Kent...
in 2006.
It was announced police have borrowed £73,000 from Swale
Swale
Swale is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Its council is based in Sittingbourne. The borough is named after the narrow channel called The Swale, a channel that separates the mainland of Kent from the Isle of Sheppey, and which occupies the central part of the...
Council to place an order for an automatic number plate recognition
Automatic number plate recognition
Automatic number plate recognition is a mass surveillance method that uses optical character recognition on images to read the license plates on vehicles. They can use existing closed-circuit television or road-rule enforcement cameras, or ones specifically designed for the task...
system (ANPR), which will be installed on both the Sheppey Crossing
Sheppey Crossing
The Sheppey Crossing is a four-lane road bridge which crosses The Swale at a height of 35m , linking the Isle of Sheppey with mainland Kent...
and the Kingsferry Bridge by the middle of April 2010.